Yu Yiting Celebrates Birthday with Gold at Chinese National Swimming Championships

Yu Yiting celebrated her 20th birthday in Chengdu, China, by winning a gold medal in the women's 4x100m freestyle relay for Zhejiang Province at the National Swimming Championships. Her final sprint edged out Shandong by a mere 0.01 seconds, securing the victory for Zhejiang in a time of 3:38.73. Yu described the win as hard-fought and a special birthday gift, acknowledging the team's collective effort.

The victory marked a positive shift for Yu, who had faced challenges earlier in the year at the 2025 FINA World Championships in Singapore. While she competed in the women's 200m individual medley and 100m butterfly, she didn't secure any individual medals. However, she contributed significantly to three freestyle relay races, earning a silver and a bronze.

Despite the lack of individual medals in Singapore, Yu viewed the experience as valuable. She reflected on finding hope amidst disappointment and recognizing the importance of teamwork and resilience through her relay responsibilities.

Yu also shared her positive first impressions of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province. She expressed her desire to explore the city and experience the local culture. She also mentioned her wish to see Hua Hua, the panda, and playfully regretted not participating in more events to potentially win a Hua Hua prize.

Looking ahead, Yu's birthday wish is to win more gold medals at the National Games. She also expressed some personal disappointment about her performance in the 200m individual medley, citing a lack of adjustment after high-altitude training. However, she emphasized her happiness with the relay gold.

Beyond swimming, Yu is a journalism student at Fudan University. She sees her studies as a way to gain a different perspective and improve her communication skills, aiming to express herself more effectively in interviews, both in Chinese and English. With her high-altitude training complete, Yu is now preparing for China's 15th National Games in November.

In other events at the championships, Zhang Zhanshuo set a new men's 400m freestyle world junior record, and Mao Yihan won the women's 400m freestyle. Guangdong secured the gold in the men's 4x100m freestyle relay.